For five years, the beautiful and talented Guerin Austin was a familiar face to Caps fans. The former Miss Nebraska was the in-game host of Capitals games at Verizon Center during the team’s greatest years. She also won three local Emmys hosting “Caps Red Line,” the Caps-produced television show that airs on the Monumental Network and NHL Network.

In 2013, Austin left the team for bigger and better things. After spending the last year doing a bunch prominent gigs, Austin has been hired by the Boston Bruins-owned media company NESN to be the team’s new rinkside reporter.

Austin announced the news with the below photo and accompanying caption on Facebook.

“It’s official– excited to announce I’m the new Rinkside Reporter for the Boston Bruins.”

In a conversation with RMNB Monday evening, Austin said that she’s really excited about the new opportunity and that she moved up to Boston a week ago. The former figure skater will film features for “NESN Sports Today” and “NESN Live” throughout the season, all of which will let her use her reporting and journalism chops.

As someone who has interacted with Austin a few times, she was one of the most sweet and supportive people I have ever met. She was a joy to be around, and I was lucky enough to get advice from her for CRL when we got tapped to do the show last year. I remember her saying to me, while I worried if our humor/ugly mugs would translate to TV, to “just be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

Photo: Wes Johnson

I wish her well and dammit, our Eastern Conference foe just got one hell of a talent.

NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, announced Monday that Guerin Austin (@GuerinAustin) will join the network as a reporter/anchor/host.

She will begin her tenure at NESN serving as the network’s Bruins rinkside reporter and doing features on “NESN Sports Today” and “NESN Live.”

Austin’s portfolio of experience includes five years in Washington, D.C., where she served as host of “Caps Red Line,” a weekly behind-the-scenes look at the Capitals airing on the NHL Network, and as a morning host/reporter at the FOX affiliate in Richmond, Va. She also served as the in-arena host for Capitals home games at the Verizon Center.

The 2004 Miss Nebraska USA got her start in television as an on-air host and associate producer at the ABC affiliate in Denver and at the CW station in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally from the Seattle area, Austin grew up in skating rinks, from competing as a figure skater to watching her dad and brother play hockey. She lived in Connecticut for two years training at the International Skating Center in Simsbury.

“Guerin has a wide-range of experience as a television reporter/host, including several years working with an NHL team,” said Joseph Maar, NESN’s Vice President of Programming and Production/Executive Producer. “She is a versatile on-air personality with a range of skills from speaking French to producing features. We are very excited to welcome a reporter/anchor of Guerin’s caliber to NESN and our Bruins broadcast team.”